Ball-marker



W. F. REACH.

BALL MARKER.

APPLICATION FILED IuIIE I7. I92I.

1,390,926. I Patented Sept. 13, 1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. BELGE, OF SPRING-FIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO A. G.SPALD- ING & BROS., OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

BALL-MARKER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

`Application led June 17, 1921. Serial No. 478,362.

To all whom t may concern:`

Be itknown that I, `WILLIAM F. REACH, a citizen of the United States,and resident of S ringield in` the county of Hampden and tate ofassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBall-Markers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention is designed to mark golf balls and the like with theowners name or other identifying mark, and one object of the inventionis to provide a simple device which may be manipulated readily by hand,`and which is of convenient form for being carried by the user for hisindividual use.

Other objects of the invention will appear y from the followingdescription, and the fea tures of the invention are dened in the apended claims.

n the accompanying drawings .Figure l is a perspective view of thedev1ce;

Figq2 a cross sectional view; and

Fig. 3a longitudinal sectional view.

In the@` drawings, 1 indicates the main body of the device, which may beformed of sheet metal or `other material. `In the present illustrationof the invention, sheet metal is employed, and the main body l iscomposed of side Walls 2, a bottom wall 3, and curved end walls 4. `Theend walls are turned at their end edges into bead form, but between theoints w--m the sides of the main body are ree from the beadedconstruction, and to these side edges the guide portion 5 of the deviceis attached. This guidev portion is formed of one piece of sheet metal,and is composed of inclined guiding` walls 6 which are arranged inconvergent relation to each other, extending from the side walls of themain body inwardly, and at their inner ends these inclined walls arecontinued vertically, as at 7, and are connected by a cross portion 8.The vertical walls are spaced apart a proper distance to receive themarking means, which in the present embodiment of my invention consistsof a line of type which may be produced on a linotype machine. Thedistance between the vertical Walls 7 is about equal to the thickness ofthe line of type, so that the latter will be held in place mainly by thefrictional contact with these vertical parallel walls.

By reason of the inclination of the'walls 6 inwardly toward the centerof the appliance, a guide-way is thereby formed for the ball which is tobe marked.

In the use of the appliance the golf ball is placed on a table or othersuitable support, and ink having been applied to the line of type orother marking means identifying the owner of the ball, the device isplaced upon the ball in inverted position, that is, with its guidechannel disposed downwardly and with its inclined walls or guides 6resting on the ball, and then by moving the device over the ball and incontact therewith, the ball will roll on the table and will also rollalon the guide, and the marking means Vcarried thereby, so that theimpression from the marking means will be imposed on or in the peripheryof the ball.

The device is of elongated form and the guide-way 6 6 extends from oneend to the other thereof and is straight from end to end, and thisguide-way controls the relative movement of the ball and marking' deviceone to the other, so that the marking will be accurately performed, andthere will be no tendency for side slipping or variation. By reason ofthis guiding function, the relative movement of the ball and the markingdevice will be in one direction, that is, from end to end of theguide-way.

I do not limit myself to any particular form of support for the ball norto any particular material of which the device is made, nor do I limitmyself to the particular method of using the device above de* scribed,though this obviously is the most preferable way of putting theinvention into practice.

The guiding portion of the device involving the inclined walls 6, thevertical walls 7, and cross wall 8, is formed, as above stated, in onepiece, and may be united with the main portion of the device by turningthe side edges of the inclined walls 6 over the edges of the side wallsof the main portion between the points -m.

While the frictional contact between the line of type and the verticalwalls of the device may be relied on to hold the line of type in place,clamping means may be employed, such as a screw passing through the wallof the main portion to bear upon one of the vertical walls 7 of theguide member of the device.

Patented Sept. 13, 1921.

to contact with the ball, said marking means being` Iheld between theinner adjacent portions of said sides.

2. A ball marker comprising' a member to be carried in the hand andpressed'down upon and moved over the ball resting on a table or othersupport upon which said ball may roll, said memberhaving a channel orguide-way Vor'the ball on its under side to control the relativemovement of the ball and member to one direction, said member' havingmarking means carried in the guide-- way to mark the ball as it passesthereover andas the ballv turns in its rolling` travers ing` action. Y

3'. A ball marker comprising a main portion with side and end walls, anda guideway member having` its guiding' walls attached to the side wallsor' the main member, extending inwardly toward each other and havingvertical walls at their inner ends spaced apart to receive between themmarking means, substantially as described.

d. A ball marker comprising; a main portion with side and end walls, anda ,quideway member having its guiding` walls attached to the side wallsof the main member, extending inwardly toward each other and havinglvertical walls at their inner ends spaced apart to receive between themmarkingl means, said vertical walls beinp; connected at their edges by across wall, substantially as described.

5. In a ball marker, a member having` a described.

6. A ball marking device consisting of' a member to be carried in thehand and moved over and in contact with a ball resting on a support,said member having a guide-way on its under side to receive the unnerpart of the ball with marking;r means in said guide-way to contact withthe ball as the device is moved thereover and as the ballturns,.substantially as described.

7'. The herein described method oit marking .a ball, consisting ofrestingr it upon a table or other support, imposingv thereon a memberhaving, a straight guide-way to ref ceive the upper part of the ball`rand with marking` means within said guide-way ior making an impressionupon the ball, and then moving said member over the ball to roll thesame along the table to bring dit- 'ferent parts of its upper surfaceinto contact with the marking' means, substantially as described. Y

8. A ball marking device comprising a member having a guide-way for theball eX- tending` longitudinally thereof and made up of substantiallyrifrid walls, said device being of elongated form in the direction ofthe guide-way, and of a width substantially equal to that of theguide-way, said grnideway having an elongated recess at its depressedcentral portion with markingmeans therein for marking the ball, when theball and marking;` device are moved relative to each other, while incontact.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

VILLIAM F. REACH.

